Scholarships

Scholarship for overseas study

Waikato District Health Board staff member Andrea Mockford is the recipient of the Nurses Education and Research Foundation Margaret May Blackwell Trust Study Fellowship 2008/09, a national scholarship that is administered through the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

This year’s theme for the annual scholarship applicants was "using systems and technology to enhance the health care of the child under five", which is an area of research she is particularly keen to progress further. It also links well with Andrea’s role in Waikato District Health Board as nurse coordinator for child and youth health, a role that involves initiative development, improving service co-ordination and liaising with the primary and secondary sectors for child and youth health.

Andrea is keen to visit a range of practice settings, including child-focused ambulatory care units and short stay units.  She also wants to look more broadly at discharge information sharing systems, practice models and how a range of countries are strengthening the links between primary and secondary child health care with families.

Andrea plans to visit the UK, Ireland, Canada, United States, Australia and Sweden (the latter being one of the world leaders in positive child health statistics and indicators).

She would love to hear from people and facilities in those countries who have particular interest in the theme.

Andrea plans to be away for around two months in early to mid 2009.

On her return she will present both locally and nationally, with a commitment to write an article for New Zealand Nursing Organisation’s Kaitiaki magazine as well as an in-depth report.

In her DHB role, Andrea has recently finished a child health discharge planning pilot and evaluation.  The final report is out and she is currently completing the feedback to the 10 pilot sites involved.  A copy of the full report is also available in the Waikato Hospital library. 

A few of the other projects and initiatives that Andrea is involved with include: improving attendance rates for children and adolescents with services; supporting the Waikato child health forum with Māori and Pacific providers: various child and youth health forums as well as co-editing the child health provider newsletter ‘He Raranga Tamariki ‘.

Andrea Mockford
Email: mockfora@waikatodhb.govt.nz